Hose-coupling



(No Model'.) 2 SheetsSheet 1.

D. J. HARDING.

HOSE COUPLING.

No. 599,782. Patented Mar. 1,1898.

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No Model.) 2- Sheets-Sheet 2. D. J. HARDING HOSE GOUPLING.

No. 599,782. v Patnted Mar. 1', 1898.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL'J. HARDING, OF OORSICANA, TEXAS.

HOSE-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 599,782, dated March 1,1898.

Application filed May 7, 1897. Serial No. 635,567- (No model.)

- citizen of the United States, residing at Gorsicana, in the county ofNavarro and State of Texas, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Hose-Couplings, of which the following is a full, clear,and exact description, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings,forming a part hereof.

My invention has relation to improvements in hose-couplin gs; and itconsists in the novel arrangement and combination of parts more fullyset forth in the specification and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the coupled ends of twofreight-cars, showing my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is ahorizontal section on line or a: of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an end view of thecoupling. Fig. 4 is a section on line y y of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an endview of the shifting lever detached, and Fig. 6 is a top plan view ofsaid lever.

The object of my invention is to construct a hose-coupling for themeeting ends of the flexible sections of hose or pipe carried by thetrain-pipes of an air-brake system, which coupling shall be of such anature as to permit the parting of two sections without injury to thehose when the cars are uncoupled or when one car breaks away fromanother in case of accident.

In detail the invention may be described as follows:

Referring to the drawings, lrepresents the adjacent ends of twofreight-cars, and 2 the couplers by which they are held together.Carried by straps 3, disposedbelow the coupler-rigging immediately beloweach coupler, is a (preferably cylindrical) casing 4, through whichpasses the hose or pipe section 5, leading from the train-pipe, (notshown,) the outer projecting end of each hose-section carrying ametallic cup 6, opening outward, the base of the cup being provided witha flange 7 and the free edge thereof with an inner circular groove 8,which is adapted to snugly receive and retain a terminal yielding rubberor other elastic annular or polygonal coupling-disk 9. Located withinthe casing 4 and encircling the hose-section is a coiled spring 10 of aform resembling a bed-springthat is, narrow at the center and expandingoutwardly in each directionthe outer end of the spring bearing againstthe base of the flange '7 and the inthrough a longitudinal slot 12,formed in the peripheral wall of each casing, is a lever 13, pivotedalong a supporting-plate 14, secured to the casing-wall, the outer endof the lever being provided with a tripping-pawl 15,whose innerprojecting pin 16 passes through an opening 17 of the lever and engagesone of a series of circularly-arranged openings 18 of a bracket 19. Apawl-and-ratchet arrangement of course isa full equivalent of theconstruction just described. The inner end of the lever 13 is providedwith a yoke 20, the free ends of whose arms are pivotally secured to thelinks 21, whose inner ends are pivotally connected to the lugs 22,located diametrically opposite to one another along the outer edge ofthe controlling-plate 11.

When the cars become coupled, it is apparent that the outer yieldingsurfaces of the adjacent disks 9 will be brought and forced against eachother, and will remain in that relation by the frictional contactbetween their adjacent surfaces. To increase this frictional contact,the operator swings the levers 13 in a direction to draw the plates 11toward the open ends of the casings 4, in this way compressing thesprings 10 and causing the contacting disks" 9 to press or bear againsteach other with great force and prevent the es* cape of the air withinthe train-pipe. When the levers are swung to their proper positions,each is locked in position by the pin 16 of each pawl engaging itsproper opening on the bracket 19. By giving the coiled spring the shapeabove indicated-that is, narrow at the center and expanding outwardly ineach directionsaid spring will better conform to the many oscillationsto which the cars are subjected, the spring readily bending or yieldingat its narrow portion without disturbing the relation between thecontacting disks 9, by which the frictional coupling is effected. Whenthe cars are uncoupled,

IOO

the disks merely separate and no damage whatever results to any portionof the hose or parts connected thereto.

It is apparent of course that the device might be altered in detailswithout departing form the spirit of my invention.

IIaving described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a coupling, a hoseor pipe section, a cup carried at the free end of said section, acontact-disk secured along the outer or expanded end of said cup, acasing for said hose-section and cup, a spring coiled about the hose andconfined within the casing, one end of the spring bearing against thebase of the cup, and the opposite end having abearin g within the casing, whereby when two cars are coupled, the adjacent faces of thecontact-disks of two opposite cups will be brought together and acoupling effected by frictional contact and means for varying thetension of the spring, substantially as set forth.

2. In a coupling, a hose or pipe section, a cup carried at the free endof the same, a contact-disk carried by the cup, a coiled springencircling the hose, said spring being narrowest at the center andexpanding outwardly in each direction, a casing for confining saidspring, one end of the spring bearing against the cup, and a slidingplate or disk adapted to bear against the opposite end of the spring,for varying the tension thereof, the parts operatin g substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

3. In a coupling, a suitable casing, a slot formed along the peripheralwall thereof, a lever pivoted in proximity to the casing and having onearm passed through said slot into the casing,a spring confined withinthe casin g, a contact or coupling disk in cooperation with said spring,a controlling disk or plate bearing against the inner end of the springand confined within the casin g, and suitable connections between thecontrolling disk or plate and the lever for shifting the said plateagainst the tension of the spring by the movement of the lever in onedirection, the parts operating substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DANIEL J. HARDING.

Vitnesses:

EMIL STAREK, ALFRED A. MATHEY.

